How Air Canada pet travel generally works
The rules in plain language. Because spots are limited and embargoes shift by season and temperature, confirm your exact flight with us before booking.
A cat or small dog may travel in the cabin in a soft-sided carrier, which Air Canada has required since June 1, 2025, and the carrier must fit under the seat in front of you. It is one pet per passenger, and the pet must be at least 10 weeks old.
Air Canada does not publish a weight cap for an in-cabin pet. What matters is that your pet can stand up, turn around and lie down inside the carrier while it still fits under the seat. Carrier size depends on the aircraft, so the same pet can be fine on one flight and too big on another.
You cannot bring a pet in the cabin if you are an unaccompanied minor, seated in an exit or bulkhead row, travelling with a medical device that goes under the seat, or seated in Premium Economy. In those cases the pet travels in the baggage compartment instead, if the route and season allow it.
A bigger pet can travel in the heated, pressurized baggage compartment, up to a combined 45 kg and 292 cm for pet plus carrier. Snub-nosed (brachycephalic) breeds are banned outright there, and strong breeds need a reinforced crate.
Air Canada does not carry pets to Hawaii at all, cabin or baggage compartment. On top of the snub-nosed ban, there is a summer heat embargo on a long list of hot destinations, a winter embargo for very small pets on certain aircraft, and a peak blackout in late December and early January when no pets travel as checked baggage.
If your pet is a dog entering the United States, the CDC's dog-entry rules apply and Air Canada flags them separately. Sort the paperwork early, because it is checked before boarding and a gap can strand you at the gate.
Pet fees, carrier sizes and embargo lists change with the aircraft, the route and the season, and spots are limited per flight. We never publish the fee because yours depends on your exact routing, an agent quotes it, plus our service fee, before anything is charged. You can also read the current rules yourself at aircanada.com.
Where your pet can and cannot go
The exclusions matter more than the allowances, check these before you fall in love with a fare.
The number one pet mistake on Air Canada is booking the flight first. Pet spots are limited per flight, embargoes move with the season and temperature, and Hawaii and snub-nosed breeds are hard bans, so a perfectly good fare can be a pet you cannot actually bring. Call us first, we confirm a pet spot and clearance on your exact route and dates, then book the trip around it.
Frequently asked
Can I fly with my pet to Hawaii on Air Canada?+
Is there a weight limit for a pet in the cabin?+
My dog is a bulldog or pug, can it fly?+
Do pet spots sell out on Air Canada?+
What are the seasonal embargoes?+
Contact options
Reach Air Canada directly, or let us handle it.
Contact Air Canada directly
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